Let’s Wait For All The Facts Before Making Crazy Claims About Coastal GasLink Attack

In the wake of an RCMP statement saying that 20 people with masks attacked the Coastal GasLink worksite with axes, there have been all sorts of wild–and sometimes factually incorrect–statements flying around. 

Stewart Muir responded to the news by tweeting that “extensive evidence exists of foreign funding to equip and harm these attackers, using the same crowdfunding tools that Ottawa truck rallies employed.” 

That’s quite a leap, considering that RCMP has not named any suspects and says no one is in custody. 

Meanwhile, the Georgia Straight ran an article claiming that the RCMP has a long history of making false claims to discredit Indigenous people. “We would all be wise to keep this in mind in connection with media reports of axe-wielding assailants attacking security guards yet leaving nobody injured—and then throwing smoke bombs and fire-lit sticks at police with impunity deep in the wilderness,” it wrote. 

Again, there is no evidence at all to suggest that this was a false attack. 

But wild reports are also coming from local newsmedia. Initially many Black Press papers ran a headline saying that “20 people, some allegedly armed with axes, arrested at Coastal GasLink site.” That’s not true because no arrests have yet been made.

Many papers have since changed that headline but some local papers haven’t. 

These attacks are a very serious matter and should be investigated properly by authorities.

But for the sake of everyone, let’s wait until all the facts come in before making any more crazy claims.